Ka'b ibn Asad

Ka'b ibn Asad (died 627) was the chief of the Jewish Banu Qurayza tribe of the Arabian Peninsula who was executed after the Battle of the Trench.

Biography
Ka'b ibn Asad was born to the Jewish Banu Qurayza tribe of the Arabian Peninsula, and he helped the Banu Aws tribe in defeating the Banu Khazraj tribe of Medina in 617 due to the execution of many Jewish hostages by the Khazraj. In 622, he agreed with Muhammad's statements on freedom of religion and self-sufficiency for each tribe, but his refusal to convert to Islam and his demand for Muhammad to bring down a book from Heaven to prove his holiness led to Muhammad severing ties with the Jews in 624. In September of that year, Muhammad told his followers to kill every Jew that they could overpower, braching the Constitution of Medina. In 627, he allied with Abu Sufyan in opposition to Islam, and he fought against the Muslims at the failed Battle of the Trench. Captured in the battle, he was made to kneel in a trench before his head was struck off.